The Imperfect Tense of tomar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Tomaba café todas las mañanas. (I used to drink coffee every morning.)

Tomar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect conjugations follow the typical pattern for that verb type.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Tomar (to take) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish):

The imperfect tense of tomar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past.

To take or drink: For example, Cuando era niño, tomaba leche todas las mañanas. (When I was a child, I used to drink milk every morning.)

To take a means of transportation: For example, Antes tomaba el autobús para ir al trabajo. (Before, I used to take the bus to go to work.)

To take a course or class: For example, Tomaba clases de guitarra los sábados. (I used to take guitar lessons on Saturdays.)

To take medication: For example, Mi abuela tomaba pastillas para la presión arterial. (My grandmother used to take pills for high blood pressure.)

To take a decision or action: For example, Siempre tomaba la decisión correcta. (He always used to make the right decision.)

To take a photo or video: For example, Tomaba fotos de todo lo que veía. (He used to take photos of everything he saw.)

To take advantage of something: For example, Tomaba ventaja de su posición para conseguir favores. (He used to take advantage of his position to get favors.)

Slang: To make fun of or tease: For example, Siempre me tomaban el pelo por ser el más bajito. (They always used to tease me for being the shortest.)

Examples

Examples of Tomar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo tomaba café todas las mañanas para despertarme. (I used to drink coffee every morning to wake up.)

Cuando éramos niños, tomábamos el autobús para ir a la escuela. (When we were kids, we used to take the bus to go to school.)

Mis abuelos tomaban el sol en el parque todos los días. (My grandparents used to sunbathe in the park every day.)

Antes de salir, tomábamos un aperitivo en el bar. (Before going out, we used to have an appetizer at the bar.)

En la universidad, tomaba notas en mi cuaderno durante las clases. (In college, I used to take notes in my notebook during classes.)

Mis amigos y yo tomábamos clases de baile los fines de semana. (My friends and I used to take dance classes on weekends.)

Ella tomaba vitaminas todos los días para mantenerse saludable. (She used to take vitamins every day to stay healthy.)

Cuando vivía en la ciudad, tomaba el metro para ir al trabajo. (When I lived in the city, I used to take the subway to go to work.)

En vacaciones, tomábamos el sol en la playa y nadábamos en el mar. (On vacation, we used to sunbathe on the beach and swim in the sea.)

Mis padres tomaban una siesta después del almuerzo. (My parents used to take a nap after lunch.)

Cada vez que tomaba un vuelo, me sentía nerviosa. (Every time I took a flight, I felt nervous.)

Cuando era joven, tomaba clases de guitarra los sábados. (When I was young, I used to take guitar lessons on Saturdays.)

En la oficina, tomábamos un descanso para tomar café por la tarde. (At the office, we used to take a break to have coffee in the afternoon.)

Mis hermanos y yo tomábamos lecciones de natación en el verano. (My siblings and I used to take swimming lessons in the summer.)

Antes de acostarnos, tomábamos un vaso de leche caliente. (Before going to bed, we used to have a glass of warm milk.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Tomar (to take) in the Imperfect Tense tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.